1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to support for a residual limb of an amputee and, more particularly, to an adjustable leg support for the residual limb of a leg member of an amputee.
2. Background of the Invention.
The last several decades has resulted in a tremendous increase in knowledge on how to treat amputees. Many advances have been made in prosthetic devices to accommodate amputees. The prosthetic devices are adjustable in many different ways to accommodate people of all different sizes and structure.
Applicant himself is an amputee that had his right leg and foot removed below the knee due to diabetes. During the period of recovery, Applicant was in a wheelchair until he was fitted with a foot prosthesis. While riding in the wheelchair or sitting upright in a chair, the residual limb would hang down because there was no foot on the end of the residual limb to provide support. This causes the hamstrings, quadriceps and muscles in the hip to undergo atrophy and flexion contracture due to the limited use of these muscles.
Flexion contracture is the shrinking and stiffening of the muscle as the muscle fibers contract across each other due to the non-use or limited use of these muscles. Contracture of the quadriceps, hamstrings and hip muscles is very painful to the amputee. Providing support for the residual limbs helps to fight against the flexion contractures to reduce or prevent the shrinking of the muscles, and thus alleviating or reducing the pain to the amputee.
Various exercises are often recommended by doctors or physical therapists to amputees to fight against flexion contracture. It may be advisable to perform various knee extension and flexion exercises as well as hip, quadriceps and hamstring extension and flexion exercises. Such exercises stretch the contracting muscles to combat the shrinking and stiffening. Another way amputees have combated flexion contractures is to lie prone on their front side. However, many amputees do not like to lie in the prone position to combat the flexion contractures. Moreover, it is not always possible to perform the exercises necessary to combat flexion contractures.
Applicant noticed during his rehabilitation after surgery when his foot was removed, if he provided support for the residual limb so that it did not dangle when he was in a seated position, his muscles did not get contractures which caused the muscles of his residual limb to hurt. As a result, Applicant designed a structure that was adjustable in height to support his residual limb to avoid flexion contractures. The present invention is directed toward such a support structure.